Refresh rate

Refresh rate is how often the display updates, measured in hertz. A higher refresh rate looks smoother when the content moves, and it reduces flicker that cameras pick up as banding.

Gym scoreboards and arena displays that get filmed for livestreams or recorded games usually want a high refresh rate, often in the thousands of hertz on the LED side. A wall that looks fine to the eye can still strobe on a phone camera if the refresh is low. Practical camera checks are covered in Filming and livestreaming LED walls.

Refresh rate is not the same as scan rate. Scan rate is how the drivers multiplex rows of LEDs. Both affect how the picture looks. Neither is fixed by “how many LEDs are in the wall.” Drivers, receive cards, and the processor set the behaviour.